//------------------------------// // The Family That Trains Together Remains Together // Story: Spike's Shadow // by DraconequusMaximus //------------------------------// Today had started off like any other day. Spike and Sombra had gotten up at seven, showered, had breakfast, and discussed how the day would play out with their good friend Lyra. There is where the day began to take a turn for the strange. Over the last week, Spike and Sombra had begun training together. A day of physical and magical training, followed by a day of research and study. The pattern would repeat, day in, day out. Sombra had already devoured a good portion of the ancient texts and notes Zecora had made Spike memorize since becoming her student. The draconian language was Sombra's favorite new topic, but also the slowest going. Still, Spike marveled at the speed Sombra could learn entirely new concepts and subjects. Sombra would even occasionally surprise Spike by speaking simple sentences in draconian at random, prompting him to reply in kind. If it wouldn't have disturbed him so much Spike might have drawn a parallel between Sombra's aptitude for education and a certain lavender alicorn mare's. Sombra and Spike had sparred against each other as well, but found it difficult to go all out against the other. The solution for this was to introduce new opponents. Finding someone in the Ponyville area willing to fight Spike was however something of a challenge. Scootaloo declined, as had all the guards in Clypeus's employ. Lyra, as it turned out was more than happy to participate. As with most things her enthusiasm bordered on the disturbing, but Spike attested to her skill. Despite Lyra's lazy and unpredictable nature she had graduated Celestia's school with the second highest marks in her year. Convincing the number one student to fight her own son would require a bit more effort unfortunately. All in all, it took the promise of a home cooked meal, a souvenir from their upcoming trip to Griffonstone, and a backstage pass/ticket to the sold-out Bridleway play 'The Life And Times of Starswirl The Bearded' which Spike had needed to pull a great many strings to obtain. As a mare of her word, Twilight Sparkle now stood on the ever changing plot of land known as Spike's front lawn. "Okay, I'm here. Now what exactly do you want me to do?" Twilight questioned her son. Spike was currently standing across from his mother, Sombra at his side. Lyra had positioned herself next to Twilight, seemingly vibrating with excitement for what was to come. "You're going to help us train. Sombra and I are going to be a team, and Lyra will be your teammate. You're two powerful mages, and we basically need you to throw whatever you can think of at us. We need to be ready for pretty much anything, so try and be creative." Spike elaborated. Twilight didn't seem overly thrilled with the thought of fighting her son. Even though her partner was hopping in place, barely able to contain what was most undoubtedly utter mayhem. Sombra was actually much more worried about Lyra than Twilight, despite the disparity in their individual skill levels. "Alright... I'd like you to set some ground rules before we do anything though. If we're supposed to go all out I'd rather nopony get hurt, and it's been years since I've actually needed to fight anyone." Twilight conceded. Spike smiled, giving an understanding nod. "Okay then. You're allowed to fly, teleport, or whatever. Sombra's sword has been magically dulled, so it won't cut anything organic, so no worries there. No throwing dirt in people's eyes, and when you touch someone you say 'tag' to signify your attack got through. It's over when all but one of us have been tagged, or both of either team's members are out. "Everyone should be trying to attack while defending themselves. Tag only counts from actual hoof or claw contact. No constructs or weapons count. It's to make the exercise safer. Working with your partner is highly recommended, but you'll need to think on your feet. Any questions?" Spike explained clearly and loudly. Twilight seemed to relax a bit, knowing Spike had thought this through. Sombra was however a bit nervous. It had been an entire week since Twilight learned of Spike and Sombra being in a relationship. Spike had communicated with her since then in letters, but neither had seen her until now. Sombra had no idea how she felt about them, or more specifically him. Now he was about to fight her while his mind was filled with churning anxieties. Not an ideal situation. "I suppose I'm ready when you are then." Twilight said anxiously. Spike looked at Sombra, and the wordless exchange did wonders for the stallion's nerves. After meeting Spike's eyes and seeing him smile Sombra gave him a simple nod. Spike took it as the all-clear sign. "All right then. Ready, set, ....GO!" Spike boomed in an unnaturally loud voice. Sombra snapped to attention and took cover behind Spike as he drew his sword. Spike dug his claws into the ground, but stayed in position. It seemed they had both decided to watch what Twilight and Lyra would do. Twilight had merely taken a battle position and charged her horn for quicker spell-casting. Lyra on the other hoof was her typical self and was charging her horn with a triple-corona spell. Within a few seconds the intense golden aura began to envelop her body. In the span of about thirty seconds Lyra was standing upright on her back hooves. Though floating seemed a more appropriate term. Lyra was now within a magical construct resembling a bipedal creature not unlike a gorilla. It was a disarming sight, as Lyra was essentially now the same size as Spike. Even Twilight was caught off guard by the sudden and bizarre show of magical prowess. "You can't stop the bum rush!" Lyra shouted as she charged headlong at Spike. Lyra moved like a natural biped somehow, but Spike managed to roll out of the way and take two great handfuls of earth with him in the process. Lyra turned to try and continue her attack, but in her excitement she forgot all about Sombra who was now heading towards her. Sombra surprised her and used his sword to cleave off one of her construct's legs. The leg fell to the dirt and shattered, but her construct seemed too well made to be disrupted. As Lyra fell to the ground Sombra moved in to further incapacitate Lyra, but found himself victim to a projectile attack. It seemed as though Twilight had finally gotten into the swing of things and began a volley of mana bolts. Sombra was no worse for the wear, but had been pushed back a good ten feet by the concusive force. Lyra didn't waste the opportunity and funneled magic into her magical suit of armor. With surprising speed the lost leg was regenerated. Fortunately Spike was ready with a powerful offensive as soon as it seemed Team Twilight was gaining an edge. Two flaming chunks of ground thrown at unbelievable speeds utterly destroyed Lyra's magical arms, causing her to yell up at the sky in frustration. Spike quickly offered Sombra protection in the form of a wing used as a shield. Twilight's projectiles were completely inefective against Spike, which caused her to switch tactics. "Lyra, don't waste your mana fixing the construct. I've still got plenty to go around." Twilight declared. Twilight shot a beam of magenta mana into Lyra's unusual armor. It doubled in size before sprouting new limbs and glowing much more vibrantly. The monsterous creation now dwarfed Spike, though neither Sombra or Spike took it as much more of a threat. Spike lunged forward and tried to slash at the construct with his claws, but to his surprise the imitation creature resisted his efforts. Sombra's sword likewise had no effect. It seemed as though Twilight had rendered it immune to physical attacks. Spike grabbed Sombra with his tail and began backpedalling away from Lyra's monstrosity. Lyra hesitated giving chase when Spike took in a large volume of air with a breath, by she regretted the decision when fog began to pour from Spike's maw instead. To everyone's surprise the fog rolled about the battlefield and quickly obscured everyone from everyone else's sight. Only Spike and Sombra knew where the other was because of their contact. Lyra's glowing mana construct was easy enough to spot through the fog, but Twilight couldn't help but feel paranoid. She quickly placed a shield around herself, giving it the same protection she had given Lyra. "Lyra, start swinging! They've got to be here somewhere." Twilight shouted as she prepared yet another spell. Before either Twilight or Lyra could even begin to understand what had happened the veil of fog was cut in twain. At the source of the cut stood Sombra, his sword sheathed in green fire. It was clear that Team Spike had been quite busy in the short time they were outside the range of their opponent's eyes. Lyra made a move to go after Sombra, but she had once more devoted too much focus to one foe. "Lyra, look out!" Twilight yelled a second too late. From within the shroud of fog a powerful blast of green flame erupted forth and pierced the seemingly invulnerable mana-giant. It missed Lyra intentionally, but as the fog was consumed by the heat of the flames, so was the construct. It began burning away, leaving Lyra on the ground in front of a smug looking Spike. "Tag." Spike said as he booped Lyra's nose. "Dammit. The whole fog machine trick and the sword distraction was pretty amaze-balls though. We're totally doing that for Nightmare Night." Lyra admitted, right before leaving the battlefield. Spike's smile quickly turned to a frown as he realized his mother was nowhere to be seen. He couldn't locate her by sight, smell, or hearing. There was some kind of stealth-spell at work. Turnabout was fair play, but Spike was less than fond of being upstaged. Spike regrouped with Sombra, closing the gap between them. All the pair could think to do was go back to back, looking for some sign of movement. The pair was remarkably on edge, but Sombra was still thinking of a strategy. The only one that seemed useful was one he was unsure would be possible. "Ni all hi cyffwrdd chi os ydych chi ar dân. Bydd yn ei gorfodi i dargedu mi." Sombra suggested in draconian. Spike slapped himself in the face, realizing the point Sombra was making. "Pam na wnes i feddwl am hynny?" Spike groaned. In a similar fashion to how Spike created the shroud of fog he opened his jaw and let fire wrap around him. While the fires couldn't harm Spike in the least it was clear that Twilight wouldn't be able to tag him. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for Sombra. Twilight suddenly shimmered into view directly in front of Sombra. Sombra had fully expected the move and pointed the sword at her. Spike was instantly aware of her presence again and let the magical flames around him go out. The very second Spike was about to make contact with her Twilight teleported onto Spike's back. Standing right between his shoulder blades, Twilight smiled and said the word. "Tag." Spike groaned in annoyance, but Twilight was not fated to have the last word. Sombra had anticipated her moves and run up Spike's tail. The very instant she declared tag Sombra was upon her. She turned to meet him and both had the intent to win. "TAG!" Twilight and Sombra shouted at each other. Immediately afterwards both felt awkward as Spike began laughing. The two of them had struck each others hooves and were now essentially in a prolonged hoof-bump. It didn't take long for the both of them to crack smiles of their own. "I guess we tied then. This was actually kind of fun." Twilight admitted as she took back her hoof. Sombra relaxed a bit, glad to see Twilight wasn't actually upset with him. In retrospect the fears seemed mostly unfounded. Twilight had previously thanked him for saving Spike's life, and the two hadn't gotten off on the wrong hoof one the air had been cleared. It wasn't until Spike stopped chuckling that the group heard the clapping. It took them a moment to realize that the sudden applause was coming from above. Up in the sky was a griffon. He was an unnatural white, and as he descended they saw his eyes. While they were full of cheer, the color was rather off-putting. They were entirely blood-red and the irises and pupils seemed merged into large black pools in the veritable seas of blood. The griffon was most assuredly male, as his musculature made obvious. While Sombra had only personally met one griffon, he was quite sure this male was an unusually large specimen. His mixture of happiness and eerie appearance made him stand out in a sort of indescribable way. "Very good show! Always a good show with pony magics. Very fun to watch, even if getting hit with it. You make me very happy." The griffon said in a thick, but jovial accent. "Uh... Thank you? Mind telling us why you were watching us?" Spike asked, letting Sombra and Twilight disembark via his wing. Sombra quickly recovered his sword, but sheathed it. He didn't think their visitor was going to be outwardly hostile, but something didn't sit right about him. He wanted to be ready if something was actually going to happen. Lyra and Twilight seemed to stay a bit closer to Spike than they normally would, sensing some kind of danger as well. The griffon didn't seem to notice the hostility, or possibly didn't care. Instead he offered Spike and company an apologetic bow in penance for his intrusion. Despite his odd appearance he seemed well mannered. "Very sorry. In Griffonstone it is very rude to interrupt training session. Was also fun to watch. My name Jay. Am from Griffonstone guard. Boss wanted me to come see you. Master Gavin Eboncastle The Fifth. Appointed leader of New Griffonstone." Jay explained in a fair attempt at the common tongue. The group looked at one another and shared a confused look between them, but nonetheless returned their attentions to Jay. Twilight stepped forward, as the only one with actual political power. "Well, I'm Princess Twilight Sparkle, and we're happy to receive you." Twilight informed him out of obligation. "Yes, Jay knows this. Am sorry, but I am here for the spiked dragon, and Sombra the pony." Jay explained, not wanting to be rude. Twilight and Lyra reluctantly stepped a ways back so Jay might impart his message upon Spike and Sombra. Once Jay was satisfied, he produced a scroll from underneath the feathery mane between his head and body. Opening the scroll, Jay proceeded to read it aloud. "To Spike The Dragon, and Mr.Sombra, I Gavin Eboncastle The Fifth, invite you and your party to stay in the palace. Two dignitary suites have been set up for yourselves and Mrs.Fluttershy and Mrs.Gilda. I have a vested interest in your success, and look forward to speaking with you. "Please do not alter your plans until speaking with me. I swear your associates will share the same protection extended to the citizens of my country, as will the children they intend to adopt. The thunder-stone is safely in my possession, meaning there will be no need for you to search for it. Signed, Gavin Eboncastle The Fifth." Jay read of in a strange imitation of someone Spike and Sombra could only imagine was meant to be Gavin. The message was unexpected, but neither Spike nor Sombra could decide if it was good or bad. The vested interest in their success seemed far to suspicious to merely gloss over. For now, they needed to send Jay on his way. "Thank you for delivering this message. Tell your leader we graciously accept his offer and will pass the relevant information on to our friends." Sombra informed Jay, even going as far to offer him his hoof. Jay shook Sombra's hoof with strength that should have been reserved for beings of much larger size, but Sombra toughed it out. Once Jay was on his way over the horizon Spike and Sombra were joined by Lyra and Twilight once more. In a matter of minutes the group was fully brought up to speed. "This sounds super fishy. I say you go bust some beaks when you get there and pump them for information." Lyra suggested, her tone menacing. "We aren't going to do anything. This Gavin guy is holding all the cards, and we don't know anything. Fluttershy and Gilda are going to adopt their kids, and we're not doing anything that might screw it up for them." Spike told Lyra with a hint of finality that got the message the discussion was closed across perfectly well. Despite the unsettling news, and uncertain alliances to be made Spike was going to keep his word. Sombra helped Spike make everyone dinner as Twilight drooled over her tickets to what was the greatest play of all time, in her personal opinion. Even though they might very well be jumping into the lion's den in the coming week Spike and Sombra remained calm. The peace of mind granted to them by friends and family was more than enough to hold them over for the time being.